Inside Geneva’s Summer Profiles: Stéphane Jaquemet

Podcast: Inside Geneva
Host: Imogen Foulkes
Episode: Summer Profiles: Stéphane Jaquemet
Date: September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Inside Geneva features Stéphane Jaquemet, Chief Operating Officer at the International Catholic Migration Commission, reflecting on his forty-year humanitarian career. Jaquemet shares experiences from Gaza, former Yugoslavia, and Nepal, and offers a candid critique of today’s discourse on migration and humanitarian neutralism. This insightful conversation provides a rare, personal look at the changing, sometimes bleak, always challenging world of international humanitarianism—and why, despite setbacks, Jaquemet still finds hope and motivation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Formative Years and Motivation for Humanitarian Work

• Early Life in Switzerland:

  • Jaquemet was born to small-business owners in a modest Swiss town. His parents valued education over wealth, pushing him and his siblings to study for a better future (03:00–03:55).
  • He rapidly became aware of global inequalities, a realization that shaped his ethics:

    “I very quickly realized that there were many, many people who did not have this equal opportunity, who did not have equal chances. And for me, that was fundamentally wrong.” (00:22; repeated at 03:55)

• Inspiration from Legal Studies:

  • Studying law in Switzerland, he saw that inequality existed everywhere, even in a just society (04:08).
  • He framed privilege as carrying an obligation:

    “If you are privileged, one of your responsibilities is to support and help the people who are less privileged.” (04:23)

2. First Field Assignment: Gaza in the 1980s

• Gaza, A Place of Violations:

  • Jaquemet was first posted to Gaza with the ICRC in the 1980s (05:09).
  • Recounted nightly curfews, Israeli army raids, arrests and humiliations (05:09–05:50).
  • Described the emotional impact of being the first point of contact for families of detainees:

    “Most of the people had been beaten up and they were really in a very bad shape. But it was very important to be this first contact with these people.” (05:50) “The idea that we had seen their children was so important for them.” (06:20)

  • Defined humanitarian work:

    “You are dealing with incredible violation, but you can still do something to help and support.” (06:35)

• On Today’s Gaza:

  • Jaquemet juxtaposed historical suffering with 2025’s scale of tragedy:

    “Look at the number of deaths on every single day... what I find shocking is generally speaking the lack of reaction of the international community.” (07:08)

  • He foresaw worsening, but not today’s catastrophic scale:

    “I don’t think we could predict the level of violations that we have today, but I think we could predict that things would just get worse. When you have a pattern of violations and it just continues and there is no real accountability…” (07:54)

3. Other Conflict Zones: Yugoslavia and “Ethnic Cleansing”

• First European War Since WWII:

  • Worked in Krajina, then controlled by Serbian militias—amid real ethnic cleansing (09:27).
  • Reflected on the shock that such atrocity could happen “in the middle of Europe”—

    “We were not ready to see the exactly the same kind of violation… It was a very awful conflict.” (10:09) “By definition, humanitarian work has failures, has frustration.” (13:55)

• Frustrations of Humanitarian Efforts:

  • Journalistic and humanitarian peers in places like Sarajevo often felt helpless (11:20–12:34).
  • Jaquemet considered himself “privileged” for always being able to “influence the authorities and to be able to provide support…” (13:30)

4. A Positive Exception: The Bhutanese in Nepal

• Remarkable Resettlement:
  • Led resettlement of over 50,000 Bhutanese refugees from Nepal to the US, Australia, Canada, and Nordic countries (15:00–16:00).
  • Praised the resilience and adaptation of refugees:

    “Six months later, almost the entire camp population was speaking English, including the elderly. So, I mean, that was just remarkable.” (15:29)

  • Stressed the life-changing nature of genuine resettlement opportunities (16:20).

5. The Decline of Refugee Resettlement and Migration Debates

• A Shift to the Negative:
  • Lamented the drop in resettlement and rise of hostile political rhetoric:

    “The narrative around migration is not influenced. It’s dictated by the far right… As long as we will not have a different narrative… this is, in my view, the major problem.” (17:18–17:44)

  • Shared a story from Italy: locals blamed migrants for economic woes despite few actually knowing a refugee (20:58–21:58).
  • Emphasized importance of honest dialogue and the urgent need for non-populist leadership.

6. Should Humanitarian Leaders Speak Out?

• A Doctrine of Conditional Neutrality:
  • Defends impartial, low-profile work—when the powers in question show any “minimum of decency.” (22:40–23:05)
  • On Gaza:

    “When you have lost that kind of decency… I think it is the responsibility of humanitarian actors, and not only of human rights actors to speak out.” (23:22)

7. Advice to Young Humanitarians and the State of the Sector

• Would You Join Today?
  • “Yes and no.” (24:13)
    • No: Funding collapses, layoffs, stifling job market (“your chances to get a job is really minimal”). (24:16–24:57)
    • Yes: Remains hopeful for a positive new cycle, recalling how things looked bleak during the Cold War yet later improved. (25:44–27:07)
    • Ultimately:

      “I still believe that we will be able to see a new, more positive cycle. And that’s why I would encourage young people to remain interested in humanity and work.” (26:37–27:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Privilege and Responsibility:

  “If you are privileged, one of your responsibilities is to support and help the people who are less privileged.” (04:23)

• On Humanitarian Work Amidst Violations:

  “You are dealing with incredible violation, but you can still do something to help and support.” (06:35)

• On Today’s Political Climate:

  “The narrative around migration is not influenced. It’s dictated by the far right. You don’t see other political parties coming with a different narrative.” (17:18)

• On Speaking Out:

  “When you have lost that kind of decency... it is the responsibility of humanitarian actors, and not only of human rights actors to speak out.” (23:22)

• On Whether He’d Do It Again:

  “Yeah, I would. I would. I’m still motivated.” (27:09)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Beginnings and Early Motivations – 00:22–05:04
• First Posting: Gaza – 05:09–07:54
• Reflections on Gaza Today – 07:08–08:50
• Former Yugoslavia and Ethnic Cleansing – 08:50–14:12
• Nepal and Bhutanese Resettlement – 14:23–16:42
• Migration Politics and Debates – 16:42–22:07
• Should Humanitarians Speak Out? – 22:07–23:38
• Advice to Young Humanitarians – 23:38–27:09

Conclusion

Through decades of service, Stéphane Jaquemet has witnessed the best and worst of international responses to crisis and displacement. Despite today’s bleak headlines and humanitarian challenges, he remains hopeful for new generations of aid workers—and insists on the power of both practical support and honest dialogue. His testimony is a reminder that, even in a shifting and polarized world, enduring humanitarian values and small acts of support can still make a difference.